Invincible
by Dlbn
Summary: (AU) Ritsuka has a bad feeling about his brother going out with his friends one autumn night. *Seimei birthday fic*
1. A Brother's Concern

Dlbn: This fic was intended on being a one shot for Seimei's birthday, but it came out as much more than that, so I've decided to break it down into two or three parts. This is part one. On a note, ages are changed here. Ritsuka is seventeen, Soubi is twenty-three, for example.

Inspiration: This entire fic was inspired by the song _Invincible_ by Jesse McCartney (Jesse McRoxy for all my fellow Kingdom Hearts fans out there. That's what I call him. you might not, but oh well hehe) I had the inspiration for this forever ago, but I never wrote it out. Until now. I make NO money from mentioning the song here.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING but the plot. All the characters and everything else canon belongs to Yun Kouga. I make no money from this fic.

Dedication: This is a birthday fic for Aoyagi Seimei. Happy birthday, you sadistic little shit, you.

Dedication 2: This part is dedicated to Lucky, a VERY distant relative, who died in a house fire last weekend. I didn't know her personally, but close family members of mine did.

000

Ritsuka watched his twenty-one-year-old brother get ready for his night out with his older friends. He couldn't help but feel nervously uncomfortable for reasons he didn't know. He hated when his brother went with his friends, because it almost always meant they'd all be drinking. Seimei was smart enough to not get behind the wheel while intoxicated, but he wasn't sure if he could say that bout his friends; twenty-five and twenty-three-year-old art majors Kaido Kio and Agatsuma Soubi, twenty-two-year-old computer sciences major Nisei, and twenty-three-year-old telecommunications student Shinonome Mimuro. They were descent people, even if Nisei did give him the creeps more often than not. Seimei had met Nisei in the dorm they'd used for one semester, but a lack of funding made Seimei and Nisei return to their respective homes; Seimei with his family and Nisei with Mimuro.

"Something bothering you?" Seimei wondered, fixing his hair in the bathroom mirror.

"I don't know, just a bad feeling. I don't get it, but yeah…" Ritsuka chewed on his thumb pad. "Could you cancel tonight, Seimei? Stay home and help me with my calculus homework instead?"

"You know I'd love to stay home with you, Ritsuka, but you know I don't like to break my promises."

"I don't like asking you to, either, but I don't think tonight is going to end well."

Seimei shut off the light. "You're paranoid." He accused, pushing past his brother to enter his conjoined bedroom. "You say that every time I go out, and nothing ever happens. Why should tonight be any different?"

"But Seimei…"

"No buts." The elder sibling grabbed cologne off his dresser and dabbed a little bit behind his ears. "Things will be fine. Look, if makes you feel any better, I'll come home early, okay?"

"How early is early?" Ritsuka's neko tail danced.

"Like midnight."

"That's early? I'll be in bed. You could not come home until later and I'd never know."

"Why, Ritsuka, are you hinting that I might lie to you?" Seimei held him by the shoulders. "I promise, little brother, things will be fine. I won't be out long, and you'll feel foolish for worrying about me."

"But…"

The doorbell rang downstairs.

"I'll get it!" Seimei called to his parents, who probably weren't planning on picking it up anyway. "That's Soubi. He's riding over with me. Things will be _fine_ , okay?"

"But…" Ritsuka sighed, giving in. "Fine, Seimei. Have a good time…text me before you leave, okay? Even if its unintelligible drunk texting. Okay? Promise?" He held out his pinky.

Seimei laughed, kissing his brother's forehead as he linked their pinkies. "I promise. I'll update you every step of the way." He ran a hand through the other's hair. "You're going to go grey young, worrying all the time like this."

"With you for a brother, I have a right to worry, Seimei." Ritsuka informed.

Seimei chuckled. "I'd take offense to that if you weren't so damn cute." He stated, walking away from his brother to leave the room.

Ritsuka followed. "I take offense to that, Seimei."

"You never take offense to anything I say. Try again." Seimei chided.

The retort on the younger neko's tongue dropped when Seimei opened the door.

A blonde, about six feet tall with cobalt eyes and black wire glasses, was standing on the other side. Ritsuka flushed as he looked him over. He worse pressed jeans, a clean white button up with a light grey blazer over it, and converse.

"Ready to go, Seimei?" Soubi greeted. "Oh, good evening, Ritsuka. Nice to see you again."

"You too, Soubi…" Ritsuka flushed and looked away, a little embarrassed to hear the sweet words coming from the lips of the elder man in front of him.

Soubi felt his heart flutter, but he pushed it aside in favor of keeping up a façade that nothing was going on inside. "Seimei?"

"I'm ready." Seimei grabbed a coat off the coat rack and fished keys out of his pocket. "I won't be late."

"Remember our promise." Ritsuka ordered.

"I will." Seimei kissed the top of his head. "Let's go."

Soubi's fingers dance in a little wave as they left, Ritsuka watching them get into his brother's slightly beat up black Toyota four door, get situated, and drive away. He sighed, shutting the door behind the elder males.

"He just went out last night." Their father complained from the foot of the stairs.

He was retiring to his and their mother's room on the second floor for the night, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper with a pen in the other.

"Yeah, I know." Ritsuka shrugged. "I told him I have a bad feeling about this, but he thinks I'm over thinking."

"You probably are. Nothing's ever going to kill that kid." He sounded almost disappointed as he started up the stairs making Ritsuka stick his tongue out at him.

He watched his father turn the corner at the top of the stairs and went to the kitchen for a drink so he could go finish his homework in his room. Maybe Seimei and their father were right. Maybe he _was_ over reacting. Something in his heart told him otherwise, but he pushed the thought to the side for the night. He'd call his friends later to talk and keep his mind off his brother.

It was near impossible to find a parking space close by when Seimei and Soubi had finally arrived at their destination, and the line to get in was long.

"You have our passes?" Seimei asked, putting the car in park.

"Yeah." Soubi held up two plum passes that matched Seimei's eyes with the club's name on them in shimmering gold. "We're lucky Ritsu was able to score this…"

Ritsu was a friend of Soubi's mother who took him in once his parents died when he was eight. They'd hated one another at first, but slowly warmed up to one another. Soubi didn't consider him a father, but rather a guardian that he did things with that he wouldn't want to talk about with anyone else; in fear of retribution.

"Thank him for me when you talk to him again, will you?" Seimei rolled his eyes.

It was a well-known fact that the two had butt heads since the day Ritsu had to pick them both up from a bar, both younger males much too drunk to stumble home or get behind the wheel of a vehicle, and too broke after their night out to call a cab.

"That's as likely as Akame and Shinonome getting over themselves and hooking up finally."

Seimei couldn't help but chuckle. "You're starting to sound like Chouma and Mei."

Mei was Mimuro's younger cousin, and Chouma was a girl they hung out with sometimes that Soubi had gone to high school with. She was out of town for her mother's birthday, though she wasn't welcome at her family's home anyway, so she wasn't around for the night. It was a running gag between the four of them that Nisei and Mimuro were secretly together but just didn't have the balls to say anything to anyone. Both males denied it, though the tint gracing Mimuro's cheeks when it was brought up was nothing less than a surefire sign that they were close on the mark as far as he was concerned. At least, that's what Chouma had declared the first time it happened.

The two of them got out of the car and walked towards the line together. On the platform in front of the door that the ramp led to, the raven-haired Nisei and blonde Mimuro stood together, leaning on the railing and chattering idly. They didn't seem to notice their approaching friends, but Nisei waved to show that they had.

"Hey!" He greeted, leaning over the railing. "Got the passes? We've been waiting forever."

"We've only been here half an hour." Mimuro argued.

Soubi rolled his eyes at the dark-haired boy's antics. They weren't the best of friends, but hung together for Seimei's sake. Likewise, Mimuro and Seimei did the same for Nisei. Though Mimuro had admitted to Soubi once that he thought he and Nisei were together, which made the older blonde think he stuck around for other reasons.

"Nisei has no sense of time." Seimei informed, climbing up the side of the platform

Soubi gave him a boost as Nisei grabbed his arm and hauled him over the railing. Soubi followed suit, able to get up on his own due to his height. People in line complained, but stopped when Seimei flashed their passes at the bouncer. No matter what position in line they were in, the moment they waved those around, they'd be let right in anyway. The bartender granted them entry to the bar. The door shut behind them and the dim lights from inside cast a slightly eerie glow over the crowds of people on the dance floor and sitting in booths, drinking. In the center of the dance floor, four sets of stairs led down to a pit filled with seating arrangements. The spaces between the stairs were blocked off by rope so drunkards wouldn't fall in and get hurt.

"I never thought I'd say this, but damn, Ritsu hooked us up." Nisei cheered. "You guys go find somewhere to sit. I'll grab drinks. Usual?"

The others nodded before Mimuro trailed after Nisei like a lost puppy to the bar.

"Would they just get over it already?" Soubi grunted.

Seimei chuckled. "Come on. Some seats in the pit opened."

They weaved their way around the crowds to the pit, where two tables were free. One of them had a lone green haired male with too many piercings on each ear. He stood and waved enthusiastically.

"You're here!" He greeted. "Welcome! About time!"

"How long have you been here, Kio?" Soubi asked, tossing Kio a pass. "And how did you get in?"

"I know the bouncer from one of my modeling classes." He was a nude art model. "His brother in law took my class and he was picking him up."

"I see." Soubi nodded.

He sat at Kio's side, Seimei across from him. The barely legal neko and the green haired artist didn't get along either. They tolerated one another because Soubi had asked them to, but that was about it. if he wasn't around, they wouldn't interact.

"Where are the lovers?" Kio asked. "Weren't you meeting them here?"

"Getting drinks." Soubi stated, stealing a can from in front of Kio and taking a swig.

Kio laughed and took it back. "Nice try, but that's mine, Sou-chan~" He sing-songed.

"Speaking of lovers…" Seimei muttered, looking away.

Soubi flushed as Kio glared. The older artist had confessed his feelings to Soubi a few months prior while intoxicated from the males drinking at Nisei and Mimuro's new apartment, and the others hadn't let him live it down. Soubi had let him down gently later when it was just the two of them, so Seimei couldn't skin him alive for confessing he had feelings for the younger Aoyagi brother. Kio had been respectful of it, u still flirted with him when he got the chance to get him flustered.

"Shut up, Seimei." Soubi ordered, downing the rest of Kio's beer as Nisei and Mimuro made their way over, drinks in hand.

"I figured you'd be around here somewhere, Kaido." Nisei informed, handing Kio a beer he pulled from his cargo pants after giving Soubi a martini and Seimei a margarita.

"Thanks, Akame." Kio responded.

They didn't hate one another, but they understood the boundaries and that Soubi and Nisei didn't. The raven was only civil so he wouldn't piss off Soubi and cause trouble. He had known Seimei longer, and he had no doubt whose side Seimei would be on in that.

Nisei nodded, sitting between Seimei and Mimuro. The latter put their drinks down, sliding Nisei's to him.

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

"Cheers." Kio held up his beer. "To another good night of drinking with good friends."

"And people who barely tolerate one another for the sake of said good friends." Mimuro added.

"Cheers." Soubi agreed as Seimei and Nisei chuckled.

They all took a swig from their drinks, Kio downing about half the beer in one go. At the back of his mind, the promise to Ritsuka nagged at Seimei. He hadn't let him know they got there safe and, with his brother's paranoia, not texting like he had promise wasn't going to end well for either of them. Still, jokes with his friends dragged his mind further from his brotherly duties, and soon his promise to Ritsuka was nothing more than an ancient memory.

000

Ritsuka paced in the living room around eleven PM that night. Seimei _still_ hadn't texted or called him to let him know he was okay and what was going on, and it had him a little concerned. He promised and Seimei _never_ broke promises, least of all to his beloved baby brother. Ritsuka stopped pacing to stare at the clock, before resuming.

"I don't need tracks in the carpet, Ritsuka." Their father informed

Ritsuka turned to see him standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, one arm stretched out with a cup of hot chocolate for Ritsuka. his other hand contained a cup of coffee that he brought to his lips.

"I didn't know you were awake…"

"Can't sleep; big case." His father motioned towards the kitchen, where he no doubt had a few files open the latest lawsuit he was working.

Being a lawyer, he often worked odd hours and slept even odder ones. Ritsuka and Seimei had realized that at young ages and thus spent most of their time together. It was why they were so close while most of Ritsuka's exchanges with his father were robotic, forced.

"Sorry…"

"You're waiting on Seimei?"

"I still have that bad feeling." Ritsuka shivered, hugging himself and rubbing his arms to get heat into them. "I know you both think I'm paranoid, but…"

His father shrugged. "Your paranoia may not be misplaced." He confirmed. "Text him if you're that worried."

"Hai."

His father retreated to the kitchen as the microwave dinged. He sighed and grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He opened his contacts and clicked Seimei's name, next to a photo of them from Ritsuka's sweet sixteen birthday party the year before.

 _Seimei? It's late. You said you'd text. Are you okay? ~Ritsuka_

He hit the send button and flopped down on the couch, hoping his brother would answer soon.

Seimei's phone buzzed and dinged in his pocket.

"Oh, Seimei's girlfriend must be calling." Nisei teased, giggling.

"It's probably Ritsuka." Soubi corrected as the raven pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket.

"Shit, I forgot to text him." Seimei slurred, fingers slipping over the phone keyboard.

 _Sry no txt. 2 much fun wit fwiends. Ttyl. Hume sune._ He texted, his drunken mind not processing that that wasn't how he normally typed.

 _Good lord, Seimei, you're drunk. Please, let someone else take your keys. Get home safe. Its late._

 _M safe. Fine. No drink. No much. Home sune._

 _Please…you promised._

 _Be FUNE Eitsula. Staph worry! Buzz kill._

 _Sorry, Seimei. I just worry about you._

 _Yesh. Know. I._

Seimei put his cell back in his pocket.

"What does he want?" Soubi asked.

"Wants me to stop drinking and come home." Seimei informed. "Thinks something bad is going to happen."

"And you don't?" Mimuro asked.

Seimei waved him off. "Paranoid Ritsuka."

"Paranoid or not, he has good intentions." Kio argued. "Maybe you should go home to him. there will be a lot of other times we can hang out and drink."

"Eh."

"He won't stop bugging you until you do." Nisei said from Mimuro's shoulder, which he was leaning on and almost falling asleep from doing so.

"Its fine. I can deal with it in the…" A hiccup. "morning."

"You never just let Ritsuka and his concerns go until morning." Soubi argued. "I wouldn't worry him too much. He really cares about you."

"I know." Seimei glared, finishing off his fifth drink of the night. Or was it the seventh? He'd lost track after four margaritas, half of one of Soubi's martinis, and a can of beer.

Music blasted overhead, but no one said anything in the group, knowing the neko was irritated from his ears flattening and his tail waving angrily. Nisei liked teasing him about still being a virgin, but he wasn't fazed. Sometimes Mimuro did, as well, which was odd considering that Mimuro himself was one.

"If you do decide to go home, give me your keys first." Nisei ordered, eyes shut now. "You're not in condition to drive."

"You think I don't know that?" Seimei rolled his eyes.

"Well we all know you can't call a cab; you're broke."

The others had been supplying the drinks all night.

"I'll find a way home." Seimei waved his hand around. "There are plenty of people here I could get a ride from."

"Reckless." Soubi informed, taking a sip from his drink.

"Look, I'm _fine_. I'm not stupid enough to drink and drive."

"I doubt that." Nisei snorted. "Just give me the keys. Ease my worries, will you?"

Seimei rolled his eyes. "I've got this."

Nisei yawned. "Whatever…text me when you're home so we know you're not dead."

"I'm not leaving yet, baka." Seimei replied, picking up his margarita. "I'm not done partying."

"Ritsuka's probably worried about you…you sure you don't want to go home?" Soubi asked.

"Since when are my brother's worries your concern?" Seimei snorted. "He's home safe, I'm here safe. What could possibly go wrong?"

"I can list things." Nisei yawned, rubbing sleep from his eyes as Mimuro offered him a sip of the energy drink he'd been nursing for the past half an hour when the alcohol got to be too much.

Seimei rolled his eyes. "You're as much of a buzz kill as Ritsuka, you now that?"

Soubi's phone buzzed and he pulled it out while the dark-haired men argued. "My ride's here." He informed.

"Leaving so soon, Sou-chan?" Kio pouted.

"I have an early class, she's in my class."

"Ah, a girl, then? Don't have _too_ much fun."

Soubi flushed. "It's nothing like that, Kio, shut up."

The greenette laughed, throwing his head back. "I should start going too, then. I'm _also_ in your class." He texted someone on his cell phone.

"Who's getting you?" Seimei asked.

"Remember that cutie I went home with the other day?" Kio asked. "Last Friday, I think?"

"Yeah?"

"Things are going good." Kio giggled, finishing off his drink. "He told me to let him know whenever I need a ride home so we could have a repeat."

"I don't need the details." Mimuro complained.

Kio waved him off. "I'll walk you out, Sou-chan."

"Thanks, Kio."

The artists left together, using one another for support while Kio giggled like a school girl whose sempai just noticed her.

"Would they just do it already? Shit." Nisei muttered, chugging the rest of the energy drink Mimuro had given him.

"We all know Soubi's holding out for someone, and Kio's found his someone, it sounds like."

"Who's he holding out for?" Seimei wondered. "I haven't noticed him having any interest in anyone…and he hasn't said anything either!"

"Sometimes you don't have to say it." Mimuro informed. "He's _really_ concerned about Ritsuka's feelings, isn't he?"

"Are you trying to say that you think one of my best friends has a thing for my underage _brother_?" Seimei growled.

"Relax, I'm kidding." Mimuro laughed, waving him off. "Calm down, Seimei, shit."

"Don't rile him up, sempai; I don't want to deal with the bullshit once you leave and he curses you to hell and back." Nisei whined.

"Relax." Mimuro pulled out his cell phone. "Nothing wrong with a little ribbing, is there?"

Seimei rolled his eyes. "Jackass."

Nisei pleaded with him to stop with his eyes, but the younger of the nekos ignored him.

"My cousin's coming to get me." Mimuro stated. "They just took my aunt to the hospital."

"Is she okay?"

"She's going to a hospital, idiot, of course she's not okay." Seimei snorted into his drink.

"She'll be fine. Just another slip and fall." Mimuro ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Hitomi worries so much. It's a bit annoying, but that's just in her nature, I guess."

"So, it's just going to be you and me, then, Seimei?" Nisei leaned over the table and wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe we could finally get rid of those pesky _ears_ of yours, hm?"

Seimei flushed and shoved him away. "Not in your life, Nisei."

"Oh, you don't want to be a virgin _forever_ , do you?"

Mimuro rolled his eyes. "Like me apparently."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nisei looked back at him.

"Nothing, Nisei. Just making a joke." Mimuro answered, standing. "I'll wait for her outside." He pulled another energy drink out from the messenger bag he'd brought with him. "If I'm going to be at the hospital all night, I need all the help I can get." He popped the top off and took a swig. "See you guys tomorrow. Let me know when you're home, Nisei."

He nodded. "Yeah, you got it."

"What about me?" Seimei asked.

"I could care less, Aoyagi."

Seimei glared as Mimuro pat his shoulder, laughing as he left. The silence between the dark-haired boys was a little too much. Nisei cleared his throat.

"So…what time do you want to get out of here, Seimei?"

He looked at his watch. "Give me another hour. The killjoys went home early, at least."

Nisei held up his mostly empty drink. "To being the fun ones." He praised.

Seimei smirked, clinking their glasses together and ignoring how some of his drink splashed out onto the table and dripped down his knuckles.

"As usual."

They both slammed back their drinks before Nisei stood to get more.


	2. By A Thread

Dlbn: Hey everyone! Decided to make this a three part series and post this part today so I don't have to worry about not having internet and being too busy tomorrow to go locate some and post another chapter.

Nbld: The rest of the fic is already set up so I can post Tuesday, since I'm in a class near the library and can go there briefly before or after the class and finish the post. For now, let's get onto the Review Corner! Thank you to Promocat and halbarath for reviewing! Candy for you both!

Promocat: Definitely not. At least they can't get mixed up in drunk spell battles here!

Halbarath: Hey there, long time no review reply! Yeah, I made it spell-free, so they're just regular young adults/teenagers now. Seimei's just got that kind of personality, regardless of the universe' rules. I feel like Soubi wants to tell Seimei to shut up a bit more in the manga when he's upsetting Ritsuka, so I gave him the chance here. Gah, I thought I got them all. Whoops XD Speaking of beta-reading, I need to get back to the chapters you sent me. I've been so caught up in my fic and life drama that I haven't had a chance ^^" There's only one chapter after this so it might be a little late for beta-reading it. But thank you! ^^

Disclaimer: I won NOTHING but the plot. Everything belongs to Yun Kouga. I make no money off this. Inspired by the song Invincible by Jesse McCartney, which I also do not own and make no money off mentioning.

000

Ritsuka was only a little more than annoyed when he noticed the clock read one am and his brother _still_ wasn't home. He'd checked his room, the bathroom floor, the living room couch; everywhere Seimei and sometimes Nisei would crash after a night of partying. It had been more of a problem when their mother was living home, but now that she was in a nursing home due to her deteriorating mental state and her husband's inability and lack of desire to care for her, the only one that was bothered by it anymore was Ritsuka. Their father was almost always asleep or already out the door for work by the time the elder males stumbled back to the Aoyagi household, so he wasn't accustomed to seeing his son passed out in an alcohol induced stupor in random locations. Quite a few times, it was Ritsuka nursing the others' hangovers and kicking Nisei out after Mimuro called half a dozen times to check up on him and it was almost time for the Aoyagi patriarch to come home from work. Seimei and Nisei didn't see it as a problem, no matter how habitual it had become and how many times they'd missed school because they were too hungover to get out of bed. How neither of them had made a move on the other, he had no idea.

The light was on in his father's study, but when he checked, he was slumped on top of his desk and snoring lightly. Ritsuka went in and picked up the papers that had spilled everywhere, stacking them neatly on the corner of his dad's desk.

"Father?" He greeted. "It's time to go to bed…you're in your office…again…"

"Ritsuka?" His father stirred. "What time is it? Why are you up?"

"One thirty am. Seimei isn't here yet." Ritsuka replied.

"You never wait up for your brother like this…that bad feeling really got to you, huh?" He yawned.

"Yeah, a little…" Ritsuka paused. "He didn't text me."

"He probably went back to Nisei's house…maybe Soubi's." Another yawn. "I'm sure he'll text you in the morning. But for now, you should go to bed."

"You're one to talk…" Ritsuka muttered.

His father stood, ruffling his hair. "Stop worrying, son. You'll get wrinkles."

"Father, that's not a thing."

He chuckled. "Come on. Let's get our rest. You have school in the morning."

"Yeah…" Ritsuka paused. "I guess I can go to sleep…"

But even as he lay in bed, snuggled under covers and with a soft pillow under his head, he still couldn't fall asleep or push his worries out of his mind.

"Seimei…"

000

It was around three AM when Seimei and Nisei stumbled out of the bar together, in a miserable attempt to use one another for support. It was closing in an hour anyway, so it wasn't like they had a choice. Seimei fished his car keys out of his pocket, but Nisei grabbed his hand to stop him.

"No, Sei." He slurred. "Can't drive…too drunk…"

"I'm…" hiccup. " _Fine_ , Nisei."

"No, you're not. S-stop that." Nisei tried to swipe the keys, but Seimei shoved him away.

"I can't afford a cab, and you used the rest of your money on vodka." Seimei pointed out. "I'm _not_ walking home drunk."

"Aha! So, you admit you're drunk! No driving." Nisei tried to steal them again, almost falling on his face when Seimei moved away.

"Quit it, Nisei." Seimei ordered. "I don't need your help, okay?"

"No, but Ritsuka needs you, so I can't let you drive."

"Since when do you care about my brother?"

"Actually, I care about him as much as you care about my siblings." He had an older brother and a younger sister. "But you care about him, so…"

He tried to take the keys.

Seimei shoved him away. "I'll be _fine_. I know how to drive."

Nisei rolled his eyes, leaning on a guardrail by the parking lot. "Fine, be that way. If you get hurt, you're dead, understand?"

"Yeah." Seimei waved him off. "I've got this; don't worry. You sound like my brother."

"Don't insult me…" Nisei muttered, watching Seimei stumble drunkenly towards his car.

His eyes closed before he could stop them, and when they opened, Seimei's car was slowly backing out the space he'd parked in. Nisei watched his friend back out completely and struggle with putting the car in gear.

"Seimei!" Nisei called, waving to get his attention.

The neko didn't seem to hear him and got into gear, rushing off down the road. Nisei saw him swerving as he started to leave. The raven stood, rushing after the car.

"Seimei!" He called. "Seimei, stop! You can't drive like that!"

It all happened so fast. Headlights came around the bend, Seimei swerved in the wrong direction. Nisei could only watch in horror as the car coming around the corner clipped the back of Seimei's car, spinning it off the side of the road. He rushed over, hoping Seimei could stop the car. The screeching of brakes and tires skidding on the pavement didn't sound comforting as the vehicle sped out of control. Panic rose in Seimei's chest, himself barely able to keep it back. He spun the wheel this way and that, eventually sending the car sideways into a tree, where it stopped, and Seimei's head hit the emergency handle as he bounced in his seat from the impact. The world around him shut down as unconsciousness crept into his mind.

"Rit…su…ka…" He muttered as he passed out.

Nisei rushed over, calling his friend's name as he ran. "Seimei! Oh god, Seimei!"

The engine started smoking as other bar patrons started to rush over as well to check on both the inebriated neko and the people in the other car.

"Seimei! Get out!" Nisei ordered, grabbing the passenger door handle and trying to pull, but it was locked.

"Stand back." A bar patron ordered, taking a large rock and smashing it against the window.

It took a few smacks, but eventually the window gave way and shattered, spraying the inside of the car with glass fragments. Nisei unlocked the door through the broken window and yanked it open.

"He's unconscious." He informed the others, pulling a knife out and starting to saw at the seatbelt.

"Kid, we don't have much time." A man stated. "You'll have to leave him. The car could blow any minute."

"Then let it take me with him." Nisei growled, slicing back and forth across the seatbelt faster. Once he got it cut, he yanked it over his unconscious friend's head. "Come on, help me!"

A few other people climbed in the back seat, helping the drunken man yank his unconscious friend out of the vehicle. Nisei hooked his arms under Seimei's and dragged him out of the car and across the street. He struggled until people grabbed his legs, carrying him across the road to an empty field. The other car's driver rushed over.

"My god, is he okay?" She wondered. "I-I was texting my mom…I…I didn't see him…I…"

Nisei ignored her, checking his friend for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there; his breathing shallow. "Someone call an ambulance!"

Someone did so as Nisei pushed on Seimei's chest in a rhythm, trying to jump start his heart with CPR. He paused and listened to his friend's breathing again, beginning mouth to mouth as the person calling 911 hung up.

"They're on their way." The woman said. "Are you okay?" She asked the other driver.

"I…I think so. Oh god, this is all my fault…"

 _And half his for being drunk and behind the damn wheel!_ Nisei thought angrily.

Sirens wailed in the distance, slowly drawing ever closer.

000

Ritsuka was woken up around four in the morning by knocking on the door. His father came down the stairs.

"Who the hell could be coming here at this time of the day?" He complained.

Ritsuka paled. "I hope it's just Seimei forgetting his key…"

"Isn't he upstairs? I thought he came home."

"I'll check."

Ritsuka raced upstairs as his father went to answer the door. He pushed open the door to Seimei's room.

"Seimei? Are you home?" He wondered.

No response. He flicked on the light and saw nothing. He checked his own room and the upstairs bathroom, but no sign of his brother.

"Dad?" He asked, going down the stairs. "Seimei's not…here…?"

He froze at the sight of two police officers, one woman with her hat off and clutched to her chest and the other a male with no hat anywhere to be found.

"W-What's going…on…?" He looked at his father.

The look on his face was unreadable.

"It's Seimei…isn't it?" Ritsuka asked. "What happened? Where is he? Is he okay?"

No one spoke.

"Dad?" Ritsuka asked, getting no reply. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going _on_?" He almost tugged at his hair.

"There's…been an accident…son…" His father informed slowly.

"Seimei…no…no…it can't be…" Ritsuka clutched at his chest.

"You may want to get to the hospital. They're working on him now, but it doesn't look good." The male officer informed. "I'd get ready to say your goodbyes."

"No…no, no, no, no, no…" Ritsuka repeated, sinking to the couch. "I knew it…I had a feeling something bad…he thought I was paranoid…and now…Seimei…!"

He put his head in his hands and the female cop rushed over to sit with him, a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay." She informed him. "We'll take you both ourselves; get there quicker. Right, Akito?"

"Yeah, sure, we can do that." The other officer nodded. "Quickly."

"I'll grab my keys." His father stated. "Ritsuka, shoes and coat."

He didn't move.

" _Ritsuka_." His father spoke again. "Let's go. Now, come on."

Ritsuka felt numb as he stood, doing what his father asked while the elder Aoyagi got ready himself. Within minutes, they were in the back of a squad car, sirens wailing as they raced towards the hospital. Ritsuka burst into tears halfway there and curled into his father, knowing that this ride might be the one that lead to the worst moment of his young life.

000

Nisei was pacing in the hospital waiting room, phone to his ear. He'd tried both Kio and Soubi, but on one had picked up. Chouma wasn't going to be any help, but he tried her anyway and got nothing from it. Mimuro was the last one he could call, since he knew the police were on their way to inform his father and brother of the circumstances.

"Nisei?" Mimuro asked. "Why are you calling me now?"

"Mimuro…?" He hated how his voice broke.

"Nisei?" The elder seemed more alert now. "What's wrong?"

"S-S-Seimei…"

"What? He turn you down again?"

"Accident…I tried to stop him…sempai…"

"Where are you?"

"The hospital…Tokyo Memorial…ER…they're not hopeful, Mimuro…"

"I'm still upstairs. I'll be right down." Nisei heard hm shout something back to family that he needed to go. "Hold on, Nisei, I'm coming."

"H-Hurry…please…"

The doors to the ER whooshed open and Ritsuka and his father burst in.

"Nisei!" Ritsuka greeted, screeching to a halt at the elder raven's side. "Seimei! Where is he? How is he?"

Nisei shook his head. "They won't t-tell me…I'm not family…"

Mr. Aoyagi ignored the two younger males and went to the reception desk.

"What happened?" Ritsuka asked. "He promised he'd be home hours ago…"

"We left when they closed…" Nisei paused, looking away. "I should have tried harder…he wouldn't give me the keys…I was drunk, too, I…"

"He d-drove…drunk…?"

Nisei nodded and looked away.

"What happened…?"

"I had to do CPR…the other driver was texting…hadn't seen him…and…" Nisei recounted what happened.

When he looked back at the neko, his eyes were tearing.

"Where…where is everyone…?"

"Chouma's in Gora, Kio and Soubi aren't answering, and Mimuro's on his way down. His aunt is upstairs somewhere."

"I'll try the others." Ritsuka pulled out his cell and dialed, hands shaking.

"Ritsuka?" Soubi's voice wondered. "It must be my lucky day. You calling me in the middle of the night?"

"Soubi…Soubi…it's Seimei…he…accident…"

"What?" Soubi yelled at someone in the background. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"Tokyo Memorial. Nisei tried to call you and Kio, but neither of you answered…"

"Kio went home with a guy. I passed out." Soubi informed. "I'll be right over. Hang on, wait for me, okay?"

"Hurry…I don't…I don't know…"

"He'll be fine." Soubi assured. "He's Seimei…"

That thought brought no comfort as Ritsuka hung up and their father joined him.

"He's stable, but they don't think it's going to last long." His father informed. "Is anyone else on the way?"

"Mimuro's coming down." Nisei pointed up.

"Soubi's on his way. He'll probably call Kio and bring the people they're with."

His father nodded. "We should go in and see him. We can't wait on them forever. It might be too late by then."

"Don't say that…" Nisei hissed. "Anything…Anything but that, Aoyagi-sama…"

He pat the raven on the shoulder as the door to the ER rooms opened.

"You may come in." The woman stated.

"We're waiting on three others." His father stated. "Let them in when they get here. They're close."

"Make that two!" Mimuro called, rushing into the room. "I came as quick as I could." His eyes shot open when Nisei latched onto him, but he soon relaxed into the touch of the younger.

"Come in. We'll send them down when they arrive." The nurse stated.

The walk through the ER med bay to the room Seimei was in was a surreal one. Ritsuka hugged himself, though Mimuro had an arm around both him and Nisei, as he walked behind his father down towards Seimei's room. The screams of injured patients, crying children, and coughing from sick people were an assault on the senses. Seimei would have had a field day if he knew the kinds of germs he'd been brought through when he came in. The nurse led them to a room.

"I must warn you." She stated, grabbing the handle. "It's not going to be easy to see."

She opened the door and Ritsuka pushed past both her and his father. Machines beeped in the corner, cables attached to his brother and monitors to check if he was dead or not. There was nothing obstructing his face, but his head was wrapped tightly in a bandage, and his lip was split. Ritsuka could have fallen to his knees if it wasn't for Akame doing so first, taking Mimuro down with him.

"Nisei!" He complained, grabbing him.

The nurse helped him assist the earless male into a chair. Ritsuka ignored them and went to Seimei's side.

"Seimei…" He lay his head on the bed sitting in a chair next to him. "Oh, Seimei…"

His father stood at his side, staring down at the son he butted heads with more often than not. If he survived, he decided, he'd be a better, more attentive and understanding father than he had been. He was a coward when he was younger, a coward when they were growing up. He couldn't be one anymore. His sons needed him. Especially Ritsuka. Seimei might be fine on his own, but if he were to be lost forever, there was no telling how Ritsuka would survive.

Mimuro sat next to Nisei, the younger's head buried into his shoulder as he sobbed. They all stayed in those positions for what felt like hours before the door opened again.

"Dear god…" Kio greeted.

All eyes shifted to the doors, where red-eyed Soubi was leaning against Kio for support. Another girl was with them, someone from Soubi's class, and she covered her mouth with her hands. The yellow-orange haired man with his arm around Kio's middle looked away.

"I feel like I'm intruding." He informed. "H-Hanabi, let's go to the cafeteria."

She nodded, unable to say anything as she left with him. Kio didn't seem to notice as he shut the door behind himself and Soubi. Soubi knelt at Ritsuka's side, laying his head on his arms on top of the bed. He didn't say anything, just focused on the floor. From the jerks of his body, it appeared he was crying. Ritsuka gently put a hand on his head as they sat there, Kio kneeling next to Soubi and wrapping his arms around him, muttering silent prayers that Ritsuka thought were useless for the moment. The only thing getting Seimei out of this was Seimei.

"What's the damage…"? Soubi asked at last.

"Concussion, three broken ribs on the left, two broken on the right, internal bleeding…" Mr. Aoyagi cleared his throat. "Nisei's CPR did what it could, but the doctors aren't very optimistic."

No one spoke after that. Minutes felt like hours, hours like months. Morning came and the school buses started running. Ritsuka refused to leave for something as trivial as school while his brother was holding on by a thread. He had his friends at school take care of his homework, not bothering them with details and claiming he was sick. Seimei's friends were skipping class as well, but Ritsuka had a feeling it didn't matter since they knew what they were doing anyway. His father cancelled all his appointments for the day, citing a family tragedy as the reason and passing cases off to colleagues. The nurses came in and out through the day, offering food and drinks for everyone in the room, but no one said yes. Doctors offered them to go home and be called if anything changed, but no one took it up. Hanabi and the guy that came with Kio, who he'd introduced as his boyfriend Akira after a few hours of being there, left for classes to gather work and make excuses for sensei.

It was around dinner time that day that something changed. Seimei coughed in his unconscious state. Everyone who'd been sitting or kneeling rushed to their feet.

"Seimei?" Ritsuka asked. "Seimei? Its Ritsuka…we're all here…father, too…please…open your eyes for me…please…?"

"Who?" A cough. "Died?"

Ritsuka almost cried out in relief at the sound of his brother's raspy voice.

"He's awake!" Nisei shouted into the hallway for the nurses.

Medical staff rushed in with tools and equipment and ran tests. The looks on their faces didn't bring any good news to the group. One of the doctors took his father out into the hallway to talk so the youngers could talk as well.

"What…happened…?" Seimei wheezed.

"You were in an accident…" Nisei informed. "You tried to drive home…"

Seimei raised an eyebrow, grimacing as he shifted in bed. "How…bad…? Other…s?"

"She's fine…was texting and driving…"

Seimei groaned.

"You're not one to talk, Seimei." Ritsuka informed, voice breaking. "Drunk driving? What were you thinking?"

"I…wasn't…" Seimei coughed. "How…injuries…?"

"Broken ribs, internal bleeding…" Mimuro muttered.

"The doctors…they told us to come say goodbye, Seimei…" Ritsuka informed, watching Seimei's face contort in annoyance as he saw an arm wrap around Ritsuka's shoulders, courtesy of Soubi.

"I'm not…gonna…die…easy…" Seimei coughed. "Not this…easy…"

His eyes closed as he just lay there breathing, trying to fight back whatever he was feeling at the moment.

"You were right…Ritsuka…" Seimei stated. "I should have…stayed home…tonight…"

Ritsuka's eyes teared as he bit his lip. "D-Don't think about that…now…" He kissed his brother's temple, watching him grimace and feeling bad for it. "You're…you're going to be okay…going to come home…right…?"

The door opened and their father came in. he and his eldest son stared at one another.

"0.20 percent…" His father greeted. "Your BAC…"

Seimei blinked. "There's no way…" He laughed. "I couldn't have been…that…"

"That's alcohol poisoning level, Seimei…" Kio informed slowly. "My uncle died from 0.21 percent…"

He didn't talk about his family much, so to bring that up was a big step for the greenette.

"What were you…?" The question died off his father's tongue. "That's not important…I'm not going to yell at you…you have us worried…sick…"

"What did the doctor tell you…?" Ritsuka wondered slowly.

"Your pulse…is weak…your blood pressure…even weaker…the internal bleeding has spread…" His father paused. "You're losing too much blood for them to stop it…you'll be in a coma…eventually…they're surprised you're not now…" He cleared his throat. "They said it you make it through the rest of the day, it will be a miracle…"

There was silence for only a couple seconds.

"No…no way…No!" Ritsuka countered. "I won't believe it!"

Mr. Aoyagi shook his head, something in him already resigning himself to deal with his son's fate. Clamor rose from the rest of the persons in the room, each of them refusing to accept the doctors' words as fact. Mr. Aoyagi and Seimei stayed silent, just watching one another. Seimei let out a shaky breath.

"E-Enough…" He announced.

One by one, the others stopped arguing to look at him.

"If I'm going to die…it's not going to be to the sound of you idiots fighting…you can fight over my stuff…when I'm dead and gone…" he coughed. "Not now…"

"That's morbid, Seimei!" Ritsuka complained, crying. "You're not going to die…once you accept that to be what's going to happen, that's what makes it happen…don't make jokes like that!"

Seimei laughed, eyes closing. "I'm sorry…Ritsuka…I should have…listened…to both…you…" The monitor's beeping began to slow down. "Goodbye…I'm s…sorry…"

The beeping faded to a gentle, constant hum. Doctors and nurses rushed into the room and everything was a blur. Ritsuka fought to stay with his brother and had to be dragged from the room kicking and screaming by Soubi and his father.

"Seimei!" He cried. "No!" He saw the doctor pull a white sheet over his brother's head. " _Seimei, don't you dare die on me! Seimei!_ "

"Call it…" The doctor ordered.

"No! Don't! Seimei!" Ritsuka complained. "Don't call it! You can't! Seimei, come back! _Seimei_!"

Soubi tightly wrapped his arms around the struggling neko, whispering an attempt to soothe him into his flattened neko ears. Ritsuka wouldn't hear it, just repeatedly begging the nurse to stop. If she voiced it, it would make everything all that more real. He could no longer pretend that it was a dream. He'd have to accept that his brother just succumbed to both his internal injuries and the amount of alcohol in his system in front of his very eyes.

"5:56 PM, Monday, September 18th…2017…" The nurse wrote down on paper.

Ritsuka sobbed as he collapsed on the floor, no longer held by his friend and his father.

" _Seimei_!"

000

Ritsuka tried not to think about the weekend's events as he sat in his seat at school three days later. They were doing an autopsy, which he found a bit redundant, but it prevented them from planning the funeral, let alone having it. His father started going back to work for a consultation here and there, but he was reluctant to take a case. At night, they'd eat dinner together, share a snack in silence. Ritsuka would retreat to his room to cry into his pillow, ignoring all attempts at communication from both Seimei's friends and his own. And when he went to the bathroom to use it or to wash his face or shower, he pretended he didn't hear his father sobbing loudly from behind a closed door. No one came to visit, just tried to call and text again and again. He'd played sick when people asked that morning where he'd been, but he had a feeling his closest friends could see that there was more to it than he was letting on. From what he knew, the others were starting to attend classes again, though Nisei was skipping every class he'd had with Seimei and was doing his best to drop out of it so late in the semester. Soubi kept his distance. If the teen wanted to admit to it in the state of mind he was in, that was who he wanted to see more than anyone else from Seimei's group. Nisei sent apologetic texts at least once a day, growing so annoying that Ritsuka pretended he changed his phone number. He knew the elder saw through that lie, but he didn't call him out on it or send more messages. Kio tried to offer him a shoulder to cry on, citing his uncle's passing as how he knew how to cope with the loss of a loved one from alcohol.

Ritsuka felt numb. His arms hurt, his chest ached. He got headaches, he refused to do anything but sleep and eat to not only solve that problem, but so he wouldn't have to deal with the painful reality that his beloved elder brother was gone. He saw the accident on the news, but they'd respectfully kept his brother's name out of the media so the family could grieve. The girl involved was cited for reckless driving and given a fine, but that brought no solace. He knew it wasn't entirely her fault, but being mad at her gave him something to do other than mourn and feel sorry for himself.

"Aoyagi-kun?" His sensei asked. "Can you answer question forty-three on page sixty?"

"I…forgot my book…sorry…" He replied softly.

"Be more prepared." She scolded.

"Borrow mine, Ritsuka-kun." Yuiko, his best friend, offered him the book.

He looked at it and tried to do the calculations in his head, but his fuzzy, grief-stricken mind couldn't grasp the concept.

"Four?" He asked.

"No."

"Stoner…" Someone muttered.

Ritsuka ignored them and handed the book back to the pinkette.

"Try again." Sensei stated, scolding the other boy.

"Fifteen?"

"No. Try again."

"I'm sorry, ma'am…I can't…" He replied softly.

"You should apply yourself a little more, Aoyagi. I know you're just getting over being sick, but I'm not accepting that as an excuse for not paying attention. You're practically falling asleep over there."

"G-Gomen…sensei…" Ritsuka swallowed hard. "That's all I do now…sleep…"

"If you still don't feel good, go to the nurse!"

"She can't help me…" Ritsuka looked down at the floor.

"Ritsuka-kun?" Yuiko asked. "Do you want me to walk you to the nurse?"

He shook his head.

"One more try, Aoyagi."

He looked at the book Yuiko shoved in his face and tried again.

"Um…t-twenty…"

"Correct."

Twenty. Zero point twenty. His brother's BAC during the accident.

"See?" She asked. "It won't kill you to pay attention in class a little more."

As his classmates laughed at him, save for his friend's and their annoying looks of sympathy, Ritsuka felt a lump in his throat and heard tears hit the desk before he felt them fall.

"Ritsuka-kun?" Yayoi asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are…are you okay…?"

Ritsuka let out a sob, burying his head in his arms on top of the desk. "Seimei…"

No one spoke for a moment or two, the class frozen at the sight of the normally unshaken teenager becoming a sobbing pile of goo on his desk.

"Yuiko-chan, please go get the counselor." Their teacher ordered after a few moments.

"Y-Yes, ma'am." She stood and bowed, quickly rushing out to the sound of her friend's tortured cries.

"Ritsuka-kun? What's wrong?" The teacher knelt next to him. "What's wrong?"

"S-Seimei…point twenty…accident…d-dead…" He muttered.

"What's wrong, Aoyagi?" Yoji asked, leaning over him.

He and his twin Natsuo were Soubi's cousins that sat behind him and Yuiko.

" _Seimei's dead_." Ritsuka sobbed, burying his face deeper into his arms.

"Oh, Ritsuka…" Sensei pat his arm as his body shook, sobs ripping from his throat.

"Was…was he in that accident…Ritsuka-kun…?" Yayoi asked.

He nodded the best he could. "I told him not to go out…I had a bad feeling…I told him…and now he's…" He sobbed.

Yuiko rushed in with the school counselor.

"Ritsuka-kun?" She greeted. "Come on, hon, let's go to my office."

Ritsuka shook his head the best he could. "Seimei…"

"Come on, Aoyagi." Yoji and Natsuo hauled him to his feet. "Let's go. It's okay…"

He leaned on them as they walked him down to the counselor's office, offering promises to get Soubi or his father for him. Ritsuka let them lead him into her office, where he collapsed on the couch. The twins shut the door as he curled on himself and sobbed.


	3. A Lesson Learned

Dlbn: Here we are with the dramatic conclusion! Just in time for the birthday of Aoyagi Seimei. Happy birthday, Sei-san!

Dlbn: Review Corner! Thank you to Promocat for reviewing! Cupcakes for you!

Promocat: I hated writing that but I feel like that's how he may have reacted when Seimei "died" in the series. Writing hem without he spell world being involved makes them seem that much more real to me, I think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but plot and a few minor characters you won't care about. Everything else belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money from writing this.

000

The funeral was small, short, and bittersweet. Seimei's friends came, a girl he was tutoring at school came, Ritsuka's school friends came, including his teacher and Soubi's cousins. His cousin made terrible offhand comments that made him sob and want to beat the hell out of her. Soubi sat at his side as she made remarks while they waited for the preacher to begin the funeral, squeezing his shoulder and whispering promises to him that it wasn't what his brother wanted from him being violent with his bratty cousin. His mother was brought in by the nursing home before everyone else came and she sobbed, she cursed god and even Ritsuka for her son's death. Since Ritsuka's accident when he was ten that made him lose a significant amount of memories that he was just getting back, she had declared he wasn't her son. She kept that up even as the orderlies wheeled her out to their transport vehicle and drove away.

Nisei and Kio didn't say much, Akira and Hanabi said even less. Mimuro kept some of his thoughts to himself, but finally snapped at Ritsuka's cousin Maiko when her words got to be a bit too much for the aspiring computer technician to bare. His father was short and to the point with his speech, Seimei's friends had to help Ritsuka's through his. Nisei apologized for not stopping Seimei, Ritsuka told him it wasn't his fault. His words fell on deaf ears.

There was a gathering after the burial at his aunt and uncle's house. Ritsuka elected to go home and finish putting together Seimei's stuff in boxes to be alone. He heard the front door open and sighed. Didn't anyone get the hint that he didn't want to be bothered? Hopefully it was just his father having forgot something. Footsteps came up the stairs and knuckles knocked on his door.

"Come in…" Ritsuka muttered.

"Ritsuka?" Soubi wondered, entering the room. "Your father said you came here alone…"

"I want to be alone, Soubi…" Ritsuka informed. "Thank you for everything you've done for me today, but I just…I need time to myself…"

"I understand. I'm just checking up on you."

Ritsuka felt his heart flutter out of his chest. Surely Soubi had better things to do than come see him and check up on him, even if he was trying to avoid the gathering hosted by the parents of the cousin Ritsuka wanted to punch out. Yet, here he was, in his room. It felt weird, foreign, to have someone inside that wasn't his father and brother. Even his friends from school didn't come into his room, the few times he had them over, anyway.

"Thank you…" Ritsuka put a photo album and a couple video games into the box on his bed. "But…surely you have something better to do."

"I want to be here."

"Why?" Ritsuka didn't bother turning around and just moved his head to look at the blond over his shoulder.

Had he always been this attractive…? No! This was his brother's friend, one of his brother's _best_ friends. There was no way he thought the guy was attractive. He was like another older brother to him, or a fun uncle you only saw at family reunions.

"Why not?"

Ritsuka turned to face him, tail curling around his leg. "Can you please explain?" He asked.

"I…" Soubi paused, as if he had something important to say but didn't know how to let it out. "After everything that's happened…if there's one thing…one thing I've learned…" He paused again. "You have to make the best of life, right? You have to live it to the fullest…Seimei did until…you know…we should all live like that."

"I don't advise drinking and driving…"

"Not that." Soubi flushed. "Life is too short to hide how you feel or to keep it inside, you know? Seimei kept his heart on his sleeve, in a way. He knew what he wanted, and he didn't stop until he got it." He sighed, smiling softly. "But, in all honesty, I've been nothing but a coward compared to him."

"Coward?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Well…what are you such a coward about…?"

"Life's too short to keep your feelings to yourself." Soubi advanced on him. "You have to…have to let the people you care about know that you care…before it's too late. Even in the end, Nisei never told Seimei how he felt about him. We all knew. And I think Seimei did to a degree…but it's different than actually being told. Speculation is all it is…"

"And…that makes you a coward…why…?"

"Because…" Soubi pulled Ritsuka into a hug, tucking his head under his chin. "I…should have been telling you since I figured it out, myself."

"Figured what out? I don't care if Akame likes my brother…"

"No, not that." Soubi laughed, the vibrations in his chest sending a tingle up Ritsuka's spine.

"Then what?"

Soubi pulled his head out and tilted his chin back, thumb pad brushing across his lower lip and the fingers of his other hand wiping away the tear tracks left from the funeral and burial.

"S-Soubi…?" Ritsuka cocked an eyebrow, skin flushing as pink as Yuiko's hair. "What…what are you…?"

Soubi smiled softly, sporting a matching blush. "Ritsuka…what I should have been telling you all this time…has nothing to do with your brother…or Akame…"

"Then what? Why bring them up?"

"I refuse to be a coward like Akame and keep my feelings to myself…I'd rather be more like your brother; out in the open and straightforward with everything. Especially with the ones I love…with you…"

Ritsuka felt his heart do flips in his chest. There was no way Soubi was saying what he thought he was saying. There was no way whatsoever that Soubi was just admitting that he liked Ritsuka as more than just his best friend's little brother. That made no sense. Soubi had Kio, and Hanabi, and so many other people at school he could fall for that he and Ritsuka both knew liked him as well. There's no way he'd reject a bunch of older, smarter, attractive college students for someone like him. This wasn't a fairy tale or a cheap movie on Lifetime. The girl next door sometimes landed the guy, won over the star of whatever high school sports team and had their happily ever after. The boy next door never got the beautiful cheerleader, the popular girl. He was just the boy next door, the little brother of a friend. There was no way Soubi, someone so smart and definitely attractive-Ritsuka couldn't deny it now that he was so close to him and he could closer inspect his features-would fall for a plain jane, goth wannabe high schooler like Ritsuka. there was no way. Surely, he liked Seimei and was just settling for Ritsuka because Seimei was gone. Right? That's the only way any of this made sense.

"Then…be straightforward…" Ritsuka fisted Soubi's collar in his hands, running his thumbs along the soft material. "W-What are you saying…Soubi…?"

"S…" Soubi bit his lip and cleared his throat before smiling gently. "Sukidayo…Ritsuka…"

Before the neko could react, his breath was swallowed up by Soubi pressing his lips to his, the soft pressure preventing him from speaking as he breathed through his nose. Wide-eyed, the neko couldn't do anything but stand there, frozen in the blonde's arms, and stare at him. Soubi pulled away after a moment, blushing darkly.

"I'm so…sorry…G-Gomen…" Soubi pulled away, looking as if he'd been struck. "I shouldn't have…I don't know what the hell I'm doing…now isn't the time for this…I'm sorry…R-Ritsuka…"

It seemed like the blond was taking the neko's silence and confused expression to mean something that it didn't, like that Ritsuka was angry at him or something like that.

"I'll leave…G-Gomen…"

"Soubi, wait!" Ritsuka darted after him, leaning out the doorframe and grabbing Soubi by the wrist. He pulled the artist back towards him. "Please. I'm not upset. I just…I need a moment, okay?"

Soubi blinked, letting the teen drag him back into his bedroom and close the door. Ritsuka leaned against the door, hands behind his back, and stared at the floor while he tried to compose himself enough that he could process what was going on. Soubi had to pick today of all days? This had to be some cruel joke fate was playing on him-he'd say God, but his youth's faith went out the window the moment his brother died in front of him and God didn't bother to stop it. Soubi just stood there, hands in his pockets, looking at anything but the boy he'd confessed his love to. He didn't know what he'd do if Ritsuka ultimately rejected him, but he'd deal with that issue when the time came, he supposed. Ritsuka's tail swished about for a few moments before wrapping around his leg in a show of just how unsure the boy was. He stared up at Soubi last, though the artist was too busy avoiding looking at him to see him do so. Ritsuka's cheeks tinted a darker pink as he got a good, candid look at the man in front of him. Soubi seemed to finally sense that eyes were on him, as he stopped looking around and looked at Ritsuka out of the corner of his eye. Ritsuka bit his lower lip.

"I'm just…trying to process this…okay…?" Ritsuka wondered softly. "I'm not mad at you…I mean, your timing is shit, but I'm not _mad_ at you…"

"I apologize." Soubi informed, coming closer and dropping to his knees to be eye level with the teen. "I know I should have picked a different day, just…I didn't know when I'd get to get you alone again to talk to you and…"

"Why? Why are you concerned with people knowing?"

"I'm not." He shook his head. "But it would be very embarrassing if I were to be rejected in front of a bunch of people…"

Ritsuka let out a singular laugh that he hadn't meant to let out, but couldn't help himself. "G-Gomen…I didn't mean to…" The look on Soubi's face made him want to both laugh and cry at the same time. "It's just…how you said it, that's all. Promise."

"It's quite alright…"

Ritsuka fell to his knees in front of the other, gripping his face gently I both hands and tilting it up so their eyes met. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it? Anything, Ritsuka."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Why me…? I mean…I'm just…I'm just Seimei's baby brother…I…" Ritsuka bit his lip and looked away, his hands slipping from the other's face to his shoulders. "I'm sorry, I just don't…guys like me don't end up with guys like you…"

"Guys like me?" Soubi cocked an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Smart…talented…attractive…" Ritsuka squeezed Soubi's biceps. "I just…"

"I can't explain it, Ritsuka." Soubi traced his bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. "I've always…always found you more attractive than Seimei…in an innocent way, I mean. We met when you were barely a teenager. It's not like I wanted to get you into bed or anything from the get go…it was a gradual thing…falling for you." He blushed. "I don't know how to explain the how or the why…I just now the what and the who…and that's that I love you…"

"You're sure…?"

Soubi nodded. "I've…been sure for a while. I just…Seimei probably would have killed me, and I was so certain you'd tell me to piss off, I just…"

Ritsuka laughed. "Well…you're wrong, okay…?"

"Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka leaned in close so he was just a centimeter from kissing the elder. "I love you…Soubi…"

Neither were sure who closed the gap between them, but soon they were lost in one another; fingers entangling into hair, teeth clacking and tongues sliding, lips moving together. A hand went up Ritsuka's shirt, two hands fumbled with a belt buckle. The blond left Ritsuka breathless by the time his father came home around seven that night. They'd long since composed themselves, and were cuddled on the couch watching a movie. The deer in headlights look his father gave the new couple on the couch made Ritsuka blush.

"Take a picture, dad…" Ritsuka complained.

"How long has this…?" His father wondered, loosening his tie and hanging up his coat.

"Uh…recent…"

His father nodded. "Are you going to stay the night, Soubi? It's not like you haven't before…"

"I…don't want to intrude any more than I already have …" Soubi informed, clearing his throat.

"No intruding at all." Mr. Aoyagi nodded, leaving the younger males alone.

"Well…at least he didn't flip out…" Ritsuka spoke slowly.

"I'd rather he did…"

Ritsuka laughed as Soubi placed a kiss between his neko ears. At least his father hadn't come home to find them missing.

000

Nisei lounged on a couch in his living room about an hour after the gathering had ended. Ritsuka's extended family was loaded and had made it a point to have not only the most expensive catering they could find in the area, but to have an open bar stocked with the finest wines and spirits. A bit of bad taste for the after funeral of someone who died because he got behind the wheel drunk, but it didn't seem like any of the Aoyagis had any tact. Except Seimei. Seimei…beautiful, confident Seimei…gone. Destroyed by the very thing that was now coursing through his friend's veins, leaving him almost passed out on the couch after his best friend had to drag his sorry drunk ass home so he wouldn't get hurt or lost on the way to his apartment on the other side of the city. Nisei appreciated the gesture, but he would have preferred if his sempai had just let him go on his own. Whatever happened to him was whatever happened to him. He didn't care all that much anymore. That wasn't to say that he was going to go as far as to jump in front of a moving train, or climb Mt. Fuji and jump off the top, or shove a fork in a toaster that he dropped in his bath. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to die, more that he accepted the fact that he _could_ and that one day, he _would_. He would like to be like Kio and claim he'd never put his family through the pain of losing him to alcohol. He could care less what his family wanted, what they thought. It wasn't like they gave two damns about him. sure, his sister might weep for a few days, his brother would blame himself and wonder where he went wrong, but in the end, that wasn't his problem.

He forced himself to sit up straight and grab the long-necked beer off the table to finish off the rest of it. Mimuro had made him promise that he wouldn't leave or do something stupid while he was showering, since he decided he was staying the night if for nothing more than to make sure Nisei didn't make use of his balcony and drunkenly stumble over the edge. It was a pain, how much the other worried for him, but he was grateful for it even if he didn't voice it. No one had cared about him so much before, not before he met Mimuro, met Seimei. Sure, half of their friends' circle were casual acquaintances and not friends, but in the end, he had Mimuro and Seimei, and that was all he really needed. Well, now it was down to just himself and Mimuro, but semantics. He heard the phone ring, but ignored it in favor of drinking more of the beer, finishing it off and chucking into a waste bin, where it crashed and shattered into thousands of small fragments within the container, though a few bigger pieces bounced out and landed on his carpet.

" _Nisei? It's Hideki. I know the funeral was today. I just thought I'd check up on you…are you okay? How are you holding up? I'll be by later in the week…take care, little brother._ " His brother's voice floated through the answering machine as the little white cube recorded it for him to listen to again later. Typical Hideki, coming to him when it was too late and offering a friendship that he knew his brother didn't _really_ want, but would pretend he did for his own sanity.

The shower stopped and after a few moments, the door creaked open and Mimuro exited, coated in a grey towel around his waist and a white one around his hair.

"Are you okay? What was that sound?" He asked.

"Why is everyone concerned with whether I'm _okay_ or not?" Nisei snorted. "Threw the bottle in the trash, that's all." He pointed.

Mimuro sighed. "Be more careful, baka."

Nisei waved him away.

"I know you don't give a damn whether you live or die, but I do, so stop being a careless idiot."

"Oh, look who's gotten the balls to yell at me." Nisei rolled his eyes.

"I know you're depressed because your boyfriend's dead, but come on…"

Nisei laughed. "Boyfriend? You think Seimei and I were…?" Realization hit. "Ah, Sempai, were you _jealous_? Is _that_ why you didn't like Seimei?" A giggle. "He's not my boyfriend."

"What? No, I was never jealous of Seimei…I don't like him because he's full of himself, he's…well…it's not wise to speak ill of the dead, not on the day of his funeral." Mimuro shook his head. "You seriously weren't together?"

"Sempai…if Seimei and I were together…do you think he'd still have his _ears_? We've been friends since sixth grade…I would have gotten him in bed a _long_ time ago if we were ever a thing. But we weren't." Nisei pat the top of his head. "If we were, I wouldn't have lost these to some one-night stand with a girl I don't even _remember_."

"I…guess that's true…" Mimuro rubbed where his ears were. "S-Speaking of one-night stands…"

"I'm not in the mood to get laid, but thanks for the offer." Nisei looked away. "Whatever happened with us at that party, we agreed it was going to be the last time, the _only_ time we did something like that."

"Well, we both know it didn't get all that far, considering yours are gone and mine are not."

"I lost mine before we hooked up, jackass."

"Shut up."

Nisei laughed, leaning his head back on the couch and closing his eyes. "Feels…good to laugh…"

"Still planning on _falling_ off your balcony later?"

Nisei sat up right, glaring. "I thought you being here was to _prevent_ that, Sempai."

Mimuro snorted. "Whatever, Nisei. When you're ready to stop feeling sorry for yourself, come back, would you?" He started to leave.

"It's my fault, you know…" Nisei muttered softly.

He wasn't certain if Mimuro heard him, but when the blond turned back and came to his side, he realized that he had.

"What is?" Mimuro asked.

"Seimei…"

"How the hell is that _possibly_ your fault? He's the moron that got behind the wheel drunk…"

So much for not speaking ill of the dead.

"I should have…tried harder…tried to stop him. I'm the older one; I should have been the more responsible one. I should have _forced_ him to give me his keys, regardless of what he said or did or threatened…yet…"

"Nisei…" Mimuro sat next to him, taking his friend's hand in both of his. "That's not your fault. You were drunk too; we all were. None of us would have been coherent enough to stop him from getting behind the wheel. This isn't your fault."

"I…was in love…with him, Mimuro…" Nisei admitted, yanking his hand back. "I knew it wasn't a smart idea. Even drunk, I knew. I should have held my ground and got the keys from him. Instead, I let the guy I was in love with _die_ , before I even could tell him how I felt about him, I succumbed to my own intoxication…and…now…"

Mimuro pushed Nisei's head down to lay on his shoulder. "Tch…idiot…"

"Sempai?" Nisei didn't move, though he really couldn't do much anyway with Mimuro's hand holding his head in place. "What are you…?"

"You could have been completely sober, and you _still_ wouldn't have been able to stop Seimei from getting behind the wheel that night." Mimuro informed. "Seimei's a stubborn little fuck. He's not going to just let someone boss him around, even if they're just telling to do or not do something for his own good. In the end, it wasn't your fault."

"How…how do you know? Maybe I could have stopped him…he might end up hating me, but at least he'd be _alive_."

"I just know, okay? You couldn't have done anything. You tried to save him. You helped get him out of his car before it blew, you did CPR. And you know damn well he doesn't blame you."

"Still…I…what if I…"

"You can't spend your life thinking about all the what ifs now." Mimuro informed. "What happened has happened. You're not at fault, Nisei. Please, don't ever think that. Seimei made his decision and now he has to live…er…now _we_ have to live with it…"

Nisei laughed a little. "T-Thank you…sempai…"

"Of course."

"Sempai?"

"Hai?"

"You _did_ know Seimei and I were never a couple, right?"

"Didn't we just go over this?"

"I thought you just forgot, but…"

"No, I thought you two were together. I have for years." Mimuro informed. "Why do you think I haven't made a move yet?"

"You're _my_ friend, and you wanted to make a move on Seimei? A bit too late for _that_ , isn't it?"

"What? No! Not on Seimei, you idiot!" Mimuro grunted, annoyed. "God, you're so ignorant at times, Nisei. I don't know how I put up with you."

"I'm being _sarcastic_." Nisei's eyes rolled. "Guess it doesn't come across well when I've been drinking, eh?"

"Or maybe I'm just an idiot." He cleared his throat. "So…?"

"So, what?"

"Where do we…ah…er…what…um…?"

"I don't speak ah, er, um."

"I'm sorry, Nisei, I really am…"

"For what?"

"For everything." He laughed. "For not telling you sooner, for not staying around longer that night, for Seimei…for this…"

"This?"

Mimuro tilted Nisei's chin up and wasted no time in pressing their lips together before the younger male could complain. He expected the younger to shove him away, or to at least hit him. but he didn't expect Nisei to shove him back and follow him, straddling his hips as he leaned over him on the couch. Nisei's fingers through his hair brushed against his skull where his ears and head met, making the blond moan and arch against him. They separated when Mimuro recovered and tried to press through the raven's lips with his tongue.

"You…you don't…huh…?" Mimuro wondered.

Nisei chuckled, hands sliding down the other's face so one held his chin and the other went above him, supporting Nisei's weight on it as he wobbled a little.

"You know…my room's a _lot_ more comfortable for this sort of…activity…"

Mimuro pushed the other off him, then yanked him down the hallway faster than either of their inebriated minds could comprehend.

000

It took another two months before Ritsuka could gather the courage to go to his brother's gravesite. He stood in front of the plain stone marker that bore his brother's name and a carved picture of a cat with angel wings, a bouquet of white roses clenched tightly in his hand. Soubi stood at his side, their fingers intertwined. The crisp autumn air whipped around them like a halo, as if they were being given a message from Seimei himself. The neko was starting to get back on track with school, seeing the counselor once or twice a week, and another independent therapist his father had hired once a month. The loss still weighed heavily on the two living Aoyagi males, though the rest of their family seemed to have moved on a little too quickly for Ritsuka's comfort. His father stopped by the grave once a month to do some grooming and get rid of any flowers that died or were on their way out. Anything he knew the cemetery was going to throw away was removed and placed in a box in the garage for safe keeping. Soon it would become too cold to visit, so Ritsuka was glad that he'd decided to visit now rather than later.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Soubi informed. "Your brother will understand, as will I."

"No, if I don't do this now, I'm never going to." Ritsuka replied, finally letting go of Soubi's warm hand and setting the flowers on top of the gravestone.

He stood and their fingers reconnected. Neither said a word as they stood there, staring at the marked grave that was all that remained of their deceased companion. Ritsuka sighed, running his free hand through his hair.

"I wish I could have stopped you, Seimei, but you've always been stubborn." Ritsuka informed the stone. "I know Akame feels bad, too, but there's nothing we could have done."

"That's one way to put it." A voice greeted.

The lovers turned to spot Mimuro and Nisei walking over, hand in hand. They stopped next to them, just inches from the stone. Mimuro wrapped an arm around Nisei's waist as he began to shiver, but Ritsuka wasn't certain if it was because they were there too, the location, or the wind.

"Hey…er…Ritsuka…" Nisei began.

"If you're going to apologize, don't. I know you're sorry. You've said it a million times." Ritsuka stated. "Seimei did what he did. None of us could have changed it then, and we can't change it now."

"Y-Yeah…Mimuro said that, too…"

"So…you two, huh?" Mimuro asked. "I…kind of expected that, if you want me to be honest."

"I could say the same about you guys." Ritsuka nodded to Mimuro's arm.

The raven flushed. "You're both assholes."

A little laughter came from the four, but the air was still heavy.

"I haven't had a drink since he died." Soubi blurted.

"I haven't either." Mimuro shook his head.

"Me neither." Nisei offered.

"You drank at the after party…"

"I'm pretty sure everyone there did, so you're both full of it." Ritsuka informed.

Laughter rose again.

"Hey, your family's rich and had an open bar. They were just opening the night up for bullshit." Nisei informed.

"Even when it's a gathering because Seimei's dead, they're being showoffs." Ritsuka rolled his eyes.

"Maiko's a bit of a bitch." Mimuro informed.

"A bit?" Soubi wondered. "I thought Ritsuka was going to deck her more than once."

"I wouldn't hit a girl." The youngest argued.

"What a gentleman." Nisei chided.

Silence took over.

"I hope what happened is a wakeup call for you guys." Ritsuka fiddled with the hem of his shirt with his free hand. "Don't take things for granted…I know you guys like drinking and that's your thing or whatever. But I'm never going to drink…" Ritsuka looked at the stone. "Seimei may have loved it, but I can't find it in me to touch even a drop. Not after Seimei…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "It just feels wrong to disgrace my brother's memory by drowning myself in the thing that killed him."

"Thinking you're invincible is what killed him, Ritsuka." Mimuro stated. "Intoxicated or not, Seimei did always think he was untouchable. In a way, he was. He knew what he wanted and he most often got it. But everyone dies sometime. We're only mortals after all. He was too busy living the good life to see that."

"To be fair, most people don't think about dying." Nisei tapped a finger on his chin. "Not when they're too busy living, that is."

"Fair enough." Soubi nodded.

"I'm not going to drink anymore." Nisei sighed. "I think I got it out of me at the after party. Besides, I have something else to keep me going now…"

Mimuro blushed. "N-Nisei…"

"As do I." Soubi agreed, pulling Ritsuka closer.

"B-Baka…" Ritsuka shoved him a little, but not with enough force to move him.

"Alright, enough of the mushy shit." Nisei informed. "We have class. I just…wanted to see Seimei…"

"It's unfortunate that this is where we have to see him now." Mimuro stated, rubbing the back of his neck. "We…haven't exactly stopped by since the burial."

"We haven't either." Ritsuka shook his head. "I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Nisei tossed a small bouquet of chrysanthemums on top of Ritsuka's bouquet. "See you in hell, Seimei." He informed, giving a small salute with his fingers at his temple.

"Nisei!" Mimuro scolded.

Ritsuka laughed while Soubi hugged him close, enjoying the happy sound coming from his younger lover for the first time since before Seimei passed away.

"This is where we part ways." Nisei stated. "We'll…see you around."

Ritsuka nodded. "Yeah, see you guys around, too. Just because Seimei's gone…you can still…you know…text me or something. Stop by whenever. I don't care. Up to you." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'll message you later this evening." Nisei stated. "I don't think I can find it in me to go to that place yet…"

"When you're ready." Mimuro informed.

"There's some stuff of Seimei's I put aside for you guys." Ritsuka offered.

"Thank you."

"When he's ready, we'll be by." Mimuro agreed.

They bid their farewells and the older couple started to walk away. Mimuro turned around.

"Hey!" He called, waving. "We're making this a ritual, hear me? Next year! We meet here!"

"Right!" Ritsuka waved back.

"Ready to go home, Ritsuka?" Soubi asked.

"Yeah…I think so. Goodbye, Seimei…"

000

Six years later, the four met at Seimei's grave for the sixth year in a row-seventh if you counted the year Seimei died-on the anniversary of his funeral. Leaves were blowing down from the trees around them. Seimei's grave was still in rather pristine condition, a multitude of bouquets in different colors and styles laying on and around the stone. Ritsuka took over his father's job of keeping the grave clean between classes. True to their words, the four elder males stopped drinking. Soubi had even turned down drinks at art galleries he was a part of and exhibitions he and Ritsuka attended. Mimuro and Nisei had moved into an apartment in Kyoto to be close rot their families-mostly Mimuro's. Ritsuka moved in with Soubi on his eighteenth birthday, leaving his father free to date and have his girlfriend and her young son move in three years prior. After the first year, it was an unspoken rule amongst people who knew Seimei, blood or not, that no one was to come on the anniversary of the day Seimei died nor the day of the accident itself. The day of the accident was reserved for Seimei's friends, and occasionally Ritsuka, the day of his death was reserved for the living Aoyagis and Seimei's friends, and the day of the burial was something that Ritsuka and Soubi's friends shared. It wasn't that they minded other people being there, but most people either stopped caring enough to show up, or noticed that the same people would be there on the same days and felt like they were intruding. They wouldn't turn away someone who came on those days, however.

Ritsuka and the others had brought a picnic basket and blanket with them. Every year they'd do something different. The year after he died, they brought balloons. Last year they decorated the stone with pumpkins and cutouts of leaves and sipped on hot chocolate and apple cider.

"To Seimei." Mimuro offered, holding up his cup of cider. "We weren't always the best of friends…"

"Most of the time you weren't even _friends_." Nisei chided.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't interrupt my speech." Mimuro stuck his tongue out. "But he did bring me closer to you, so, in the end, I have him to thank for that."

"M-Mimuro…"

"How cute." Ritsuka chuckled, his voice deepened after six long years of being an adult.

"Shut up!" Nisei flung a donut hole at his head.

Ritsuka laughed, ducking as it sailed past.

"Mature, Akame." Soubi offered, grabbing the donut from the ground and throwing it back.

He ducked, the dessert splatting against Mimuro's head instead. Laughter filled the air even as Mimuro threw a donut at Soubi, who caught it and shoved it in his mouth in response.

"Thank you for that very moving speech, Mimuro." Ritsuka held up his cup. "To Seimei."

"To Seimei!" The others chorused.

Mimuro and Soubi exchanged a look and nodded as their boyfriends finished off their drinks.

"Damn, Aoyagi, way to drink me under the table." Nisei joked. "Did you even taste that?"

"Sure did. Tasted like heaven."

"I know what else tastes like heaven." Soubi whispered into his ear with a wink.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka protested, flushing.

"As do I." Mimuro winked at Nisei, earning himself a donut hole to the face.

"Hey, Ritsuka?" Soubi asked.

"Nisei?" Mimuro spoke at the same time.

"What?" The raven-haired males wondered as one, making the blonds laugh.

"Can I ask you something?" Soubi asked.

"Me too."

"You had to have planned this shit." Nisei stated.

"They planned this shit." Ritsuka rolled his eyes. "What is it?"

Soubi and Mimuro both shifted, pulling something out of their pockets as they did.

"Dear god, they even move in unison." Nisei put a hand on the side of his head.

"If you two choreographed something, I'll have you both know that I've seen both of you dance and it's not pretty." Ritsuka informed.

"Not that." The blonds replied.

"Ritsuka…I love you."

"And I love you, Nisei."

"And…?" The other males asked, sharing a sideways glance out of the corner of their eyes.

"Will you marry me?" The blonds spoke together, both opening the small item in their hands at the same time to reveal rings.

A small gold band with one diamond for Ritsuka, and a small silver band with two diamonds for Nisei.

"We don't have to have a joint wedding, too, do we…?" Nisei asked hesitantly.

"No." Mimuro laughed.

"Don't worry, we can do this again separately." Soubi informed.

"What's your answer?" Both blonds asked.

"We're not doing this all night." Nisei scolded.

"Yeah, this is cheesy as hell." Ritsuka giggled, though it seemed a little odd now that his voice was too deep to sound like a giggle.

"Yes." Nisei stated first.

"Same goes for me. Yes." Ritsuka laughed as Soubi pulled him into a hug, kissing him gently.

The blonds slipped their rings onto the others' fingers and laughed at how they were still in unison.

"This is creepy as fuck, and I'm out." Nisei stated, standing. "Blanket's yours, Aoyagi?"

Ritsuka stood as well. "It's mine if you take the basket, Akame."

"Deal."

"Oh, where's your sense of humor?" Mimuro asked.

"Died with my brother, clearly." Ritsuka snorted.

"That was morbid. I'm proud of you." Nisei chuckled.

Ritsuka laughed as the four began cleaning up. Once everything was packed away, they bid their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Though Seimei was gone, they were still bound together by their love for Seimei-though it wasn't really _love for Seimei_ on Mimuro's part and more of _respect for how Nisei feels_ -and that was the one thing that Ritsuka knew he could count on. His life had always been hectic, nothing ever constant and people and things always leaving him in the dust. Sure, his own friends hadn't left his side since they met, and were great company, but there was just something about having a ritual every year where he could be with the people who knew Seimei best that made him feel a little less terrible about his brother's passing. The tragedy would haunt him forever, and he was certain the others weren't about to forget. Especially Akame, since he had witnessed the accident and a part of him still blamed himself.

They didn't have Seimei, but they had each other. It wasn't the same, and it certainly wasn't a substitute, but it was close enough. At least, that's what they'd tell themselves while they still tried to cope with the accident, the loss. They all accepted that things might never go back to normal, but they could try to let it be. They could let Seimei's death, Seimei's _invincibility_ be a lesson for all of them. No one was invincible. It was just unfortunate that Seimei had to find out the hard way.


End file.
